Vibratory polisher



Feb. 22, 1949. R. R. BUTTS I VIBRATORY POLISHER 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1946 INVENTOR. Etckarzifl. Buiis WWW ATTYS.

Feb. 22, 1949. R. R. BUTTS 2,462,068

VIBRATORY POLISHER Filed Aug. 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Hi0karoZfBuZl7S Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VIBRATORY POLISHER Richard R. Butts, Miamisburg, Ohio Application August 13, 1946, Serial No. 690,141

7 Claims.

' device wherein the housing or casing forms a convenient unit to be gripped in the hand of the user and through which the plug of an electric supply cord may be passed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an electromagnetic device for polishing, buifing, and similar operations wherein a vibratory armature protectively concealed within the casing is provided with an antifriction bearing on the core of the electromagnet whereby the armature is energized, thereby enabling the user of the device to exert appreciable pressure in polishing, buffing and abrading operations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which is adapted for the removable mounting of selected work plates provided with various working webs or sheets.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of Fig. 1 with the operating mechanism shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a front end elevational view of the device with the casing largely broken away.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the mechanism of the device, the-casing being removed.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a rear end elevational view of the device of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on line l0|0 of Fig. 2.

Various field operations in the nature of buffing, polishing and rubbing such as in the cleaning and polishing of automobiles, for examples, have been largely carried on by hand at the expense of much manual labor. One or more wellknown types of automobile polish particularly require hard rubbing in order to attain the de- 2 sired finish on the protective coating which they form.

By the means of the present invention an easily manipulable device is provided wherein the polishing, rubbing or buffing operations are effected through the agency of an electromagnetically vibrated armature, to the end of which is removably applied a plate of suflicient working area on which the polishing or other web is carried.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein a light-weight, rigid casing l5, which may be made of formed sheet metal, or a light-weight molded or cast body, has an entire open bottom It through which the operating mechanism, indicated generally at IT, is entered. The top of the casing is preferably provided with a dished concavity or depression 18 through which one of the mounting screws I9 is passed leaving the head of the screw counter-flush with the normal top of the casing. The casing I5 is narrow at the top and rounded toward the rear as a handle, while the lower side and front portions are outwardly flared to form a protective skirt which conceals the lower part of the operating mechanism. An E-shaped electromagnet core 2| is rigidly mounted on the interior wall of casing [5 at the top by a shouldered bracket 22, the depending parallel arms 23 of which embrace the top or upper leg 24 of the electromagnet and are secured thereto by means of rivets 25. Bracket 22 has inwardly extending shoulders 26 which lie in spaced relation with the top face of the upper leg 24 of the magnet core and the outer corners of these shoulders are deformed as at 21 intermediate the edges of the bracket to form lugs which seat in complementary notches 28 in arm 29 of a generally L-shaped spring 30. The remaining arm SI of spring 30 is welded to the upper end of an armature 32 which is normally held by said spring in slightly spaced relation to the ends of the legs of the E-shaped electromagnet core 2|. The free end of armature 32 is turned at right angles to the armature to form a bearing plate 33 having a longitudinal slot 34 for seating a bearing ball 35. It will be noted that hearing plate 33 is in spaced parallel relation to the bottom face of the lower leg 36 of the core 2|. A U-shaped bracket 31 embraces the lower face and sides of leg 36 and it is fastened thereto by any suitable means such as rivets 38. A slot 39 in bearing bracket 31 is normally in registry with the slot 34 in bearing plate 33. Said bracket and. plate are slightly spaced and the ball 35 interposed between the plates serves as a reciprocatory bearing for relative movement of the parts as the armature 32 is vibrated in known manner when the electromagnet is energized. An electromagnet coil 40 is carried on the intermediate leg 4| of core 2 I. An insulating plug member 42 is secured to the rear edge of core 2| by a bracket 43 riveted to the core at its sides and apertured in the rear to allow insulating member 42 to protrude. Terminals M and 45 are suitably secured in the insulating member 42 and have the terminal ends 46 and t! of the coil 40 electrically connected thereto. A suitable electric socket member 43 has an electric supply cord 49, and the rear of casing I is apertured at 50ito permit removable entry of plug 48 to electrically connect the device'with a suitable'sourceof A. C. supply.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that when the electromagnet is energizedthe vibration of armature 32 will permit of edgewise planar reciprocation of the bearin plate 33 withrespect to the bottom of the armature. A U-shaped bracket E-Lsecured to and projecting horizontally from the lower end of the core, is adapted to re- 'ceivea-screw-ht passing through the exterior of the casing whereby the core is rigidly held'against endlthrust due to vibration of the armature. A clip plate-53has threeupwardly struck lugs 54 *which: serve to positlvely'locate bearing plate 33 thereon and any suitable means such as spot awelds Edserve toifixthese parts together permanently. Clip plate '53 is preferably squared and 'the" bearing plate. is perfectly centered therewith andwith the ball and slot bearing.

Removably and interchangeably'connectable "to-the"bottom'face'of clip plate 53 is a working plate 55 covered on its bottom and around the =edgesrt'h'ereof' with a-working web or sheet 51 of polishin or abrading material. Four lugs 58 ware struck upwardly. from the body of working plate 55-, these lugs being disposed in opposed pairs .spaced apart to: receive plate 53 snugly between. them-intermediate the several corners.

Each lug 53 has an inwardly projecting boss '59 located sufiiciently above the top face of working plate 53 between the lugs and'holding the parts firmly together under thelimited resiliency of the lugs.

The'wcrking plates are relatively inexpensive iternsto make and a plurality of such plates in- :-.dividually. coveredwith polishing or buffing mawise firmly fixed to the plate byanyv suitable means lnotdetailed).

=The-operation-of the device will be readily understood to be adaptable to a variety of uses.

Thenumerous operations in automobile body and :fender repair work may be speededup and simplified'by theuse-of the device inabrasively removing rust, shaping. repair patches, rubbing down -priming and finishing coats and in polishing and cleaning the body finishand accessories ingeneral. In all of these and other. operations, regardless of whether a light or a heavy manual. pressure is: to be applied, the bowed or rounded angle portion 32) ofthe armature mounting spring per- ..inits .the.armature. 32 to vibrate. under. thein- .'fluence of the electromagnet, while. the manual @pressure imposed. on the casing and through it ultimately tothe working web is taken up on the smallantifriction bearing afforded by the ball working on-the edges of the slots. The thru'st'of "the manual pressure is thus always substantially parallelismwith the bottom'edge of thecore, a ball and slot bearing substantially limiting said end of said armature to reciprocation in parallelism with the bottom longitudinal edge of the core,

a workingplate detachably connected for reciprocation with said free end of said armature,

= and aworking web fixed on the bottom face of said working plate.

2. In a device of the class described the combination with an E-shaped electromagnet, of a "bearing fixedwonthebottom edge thereof and provided with av short: slot extending longitudinally of saidbottomedge, the electromagnet comprising. avibratory armature operatively'extending along the side edge and turnedangularly in parallel-ism-with-thebottom edge beneath .the bearing bracket, saidrturnedunder end of the armature -being'slotted in registrywith the slot-in the bear- .ing bracket, a ball interposed in the slots and disposed for engagement with-the edges. of the respective. slots, a 1 web. carrying working: plate, "and-means.detachably connecting said. turned .unclen end of .thearmature with said working plate.-

aim a. device of the class described, an upright E-shaped electromagnet comprising spaced horizontal; legs, a bearing bracket extending across the bottom face ofthe lower leg adjacent the free endithereof and provided witha short center slot extending longitudinally of said leg, an .open bottomedcasing, protectively enclosing said electromagnet, means on the upper .leg of the "electromagnet whereby the electromagnet. is rigidly'fixed to the topiinterior of the casing; a

"substantially L-sh'aped spring fixed at one end to the electromagnet by said supporting means, an. armature fixed to the opposite end of the spring for'vibration adjacent the ends of the bracket and turned angularlybeneath and in legs of said electromagnet, the free end of the armature being slotted: similarly to the bearing spaced parallelism with said bracket, a'bearing ball disposed between and seated in said slots,

means supporting the lower end of the electro- "magnet'on' 'theinteriorof the casing, a pair of electrical terminals mounted in insulated relation "interiorly of the casingjthe casing having. an

aperture opposite said insulatingmember, a ter- "minal-receiving' socket for removable connection with the terminals through the aperturein the casing whereby the electromagnet is energized, and means for detachably mounting a web-carryingg-wo'rking plate on'thefree'end of the armature and in parallelism with the bottom leg of-the electromagnet.

i. In a device of the class described the'com- :binationfof an electromagnet,;avibratory armature operable thereby and having-a. slotted end portion turned beneath it and in parallelism thebottom of theelectromagnet, an antiiriction ball operating in said slotandresisting movement of said turned endof said armature save in longitudinalparallelism with the bottom thereof; detachable means for energizing the electromagnet an open bottomed casing fixedly mounted over the electromagnet and exposing the turned end of the armature, means for securing the uppermost portion of the electromagnet to the top interior of said casing whereby said electromagnet is rigidly and vertically suspended in the casing, and a web-carrying Working plate detachably connected with said turned end of the armature for reciprocation longitudinally beneath the open bottom of the casing.

5. An electromagnet polishing device comprising an electromagnet core, a casing surrounding the core save at the bottom thereof, a substantially vertical armature operatively associated with said core and having end portion extending through the casing and turned in substantial parallelism with the bottom of the core, a thrust bearing between the armature and the core constraining the end of the armature to substantially rectilinear movement, and a rigid Working plate supported flatwise on said portion of said armature.

6. In a device of the class described an electromagnet including an armature having the free end turned beneath it, means comprising parallel shoulders formed by slots in the armature and core, and a captive bearing ball riding on said shoulders constraining the turned end of the armature to rectilinear planar movement parallel to the bottom of the core, a web-carrying, working plate mounted fiatwise on the bottom of said turned end of the core, a protective casing serving as a. handle for the electromagnet and ex- Dosing the working plane exteriorly thereof, and means for energizing the electromagnet.

7. In a polishing device the combination of an open bottom casing, a vertical E-shaped electromagnet rigidly secured at its top to the top interior of the casing, the arms of the core of said electromagnet being disposed horizontally, one above the other, a bearing bracket fixed to the lowermost arm on the bottom thereof, a vertical armature yieldably supported in parallelism with the outer ends of all of said arms, means movable with the bottom end of the armature and disposed beneath and in parallelism with the said lowermost arm of the core, an antifriction bearing between said means and the bearing bracket for constraining said means to movement longitudinally and parallel only With the lowermost arm, a Work plate carried by said means, and means for energizing the electromaenet.

RICHARD R. BUTTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

McElroy Mar. 7, 1944 

